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The St Martin's site in Holborn |
Town Hall says No, No, No to school site
Soon-to-be vacant St Martin’s ‘ideal’ say campaigners
EDUCATION chiefs warned last night (Wednesday) that the search for a new school south of Euston Road is over with a simple message: There is no suitable site.
Conservative councillor Andrew Mennear said the Town Hall had looked hard for potential land but ultimately been unable to find anywhere appropriate.
He flatly ruled out a new suggestion that the St Martin’s College of Art buildings in Southampton Row, Holborn, could be converted into a new secondary.
The college is planning to combine its faculties into a new building in the Granary building in King’s Cross.
Retired teacher Marian Kamlish raised the idea of the council buying the site in a letter to the New Journal.
She said: “This building would make a truly magnificent secondary school that parents would be proud of.”
Ms Kamlish, who is also a member of the Camden Civic Society, said that the new school would be blessed by being close to the British Museum as a learning resource and Lincoln’s Inn Fields for outdoor activities.
Emma Jones, from the Where Is My School? parent campaign in the south of the borough, said: “I suggested it to the council about a year ago, but it was considered too small, the other St Martin’s site up the road at Back Hill will become available at the same time, so a split site is also possible.” Liberal Democrat councillor John Bryant, cabinet member for children, said: “I have asked officers to take a look at this, but I suspect the first stumbling block will be affordability. If the college wants full market value for the site, so that it can invest elsewhere, we will need extra cash from the government to buy it. Frank Dobson may be better placed to secure extra cash from the government for acquisition costs so I suggest you ask him what he can do.” Mr Dobson is currently in Canada.
The parent campaign believes two others sites, the Eastman Dental Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road and the Mount Pleasant Sorting Office on the Islington border in Clerkenwell, have potential to be redeveloped. Organisers say that their families have been left out of council plans.
Yesterday (Wednesday) education chief Councillor Andrew Mennear appeared to draw a line under the debate and said the council was still zeroing in on using government funding to open a new school in Adelaide Road, Swiss Cottage – rather than in southern wards.
He said: “Our review has shown there is no site south of the Euston road that meets all the criteria of being available within the Building Schools for the Future (government scheme) timescale, affordable or large enough for a secondary school. It appears that the most suitable location remains the Adelaide Road site, as it is both large enough and we own it.”
Cllr Mennear added: “The St Martin’s College Building was included in Camden’s comprehensive review of potential sites for a new secondary school last summer.
“The site is much too small for a secondary school and the existing college is a Grade II* listed building. This means that, even if it was big enough, we would be severely limited in our ability to remodel it to deliver a 21st century education.” |
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